Firing door for boilers and furnaces



Dec. 92 1,519,838

R. T. HORTON FIRING DOOR FOR BOILERS AND FURNACES Filed June '7, 1924 INVENTOR. Q- K 7 76055427" 7. HOETOM Z4 27 E i 33 ATTORNEYfi Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

UNITED STATES ROBERT T. HORTON, OF GREENWOOD, INDIANA.

FIRING DOOR FOR BOILERS AND FURNACES.

Application filed June 7,

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT T. HORTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Greenwood, county of Johnson, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Firing Door for Boilers and Furnaces; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accom- .10 panying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts.

This invention pertains to a foot actuated door for the fire box of a boiler, furnace, or the like.

The object of the invention is to so arrange a fire box door and actuating mechanism as to permit the same to readlly be swung to open position by the fireman when he places his foot on a suitable pedal whereby his hands will be free to throw 1n the fuel. Upon completing the firing operation, by simply removing his foot, the door w1ll drop by gravity to closed position. There are two principal advantages to the invention, one lying in the saving of fuel by reason of the fact that the door will remain closed excepting just at the time the fuel is thrown into the fire box, instead of remainlng open during the entire time the boiler or furnace is being fired. Another advantage lies in the ease with which the fireman can handle the fuel while controlling the position of the door with his foot.

One feature of the invention resides in the arrangement and mounting of the door on the wall of the fire box so as to be provided with a protective hood which will not only cover the actuating lever but will assist in the pivotal support of the door and relieve the strain on the pivotal stud and its connection with the wall.

Another feature of the invention resides in the positioning of the foot pedal or actuating pin with the associated actuating mechanism below the floor, and its position with respect to the door such as to permit its more convenient operation by the fireman when shoveling the fuel therein.

Other features of the invention, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and described, pertain to the leverage arrangement of the actuating mechanism, such as will inure a more practical and commercial structure.

The full nature of the invention will be 1924. Serial No. 718,469.

understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the fire box showing the door in closed position. Fig. 2 is the same as Fig. 1 showing the door in open position. Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing there is shown a wall 10 of a fire box or furnace in which there is the usual opening 11 through which fuel is passed or the fire stoked. The opening 11 is closed by a sliding door 12 which is pivotally supported on the wall by a stud 13. The door 12 is adapted to lie flush against the front surface of thewall and be capable of sliding up and down with respect thereto, so that when it is in lowered position as shown in Fig. 1 it will rest against the fixed bumper 14: and close the opening 11, and when swung to open position about the stud 13, will uncover the opening 11 and permit access to the interior of the fire box. The arcuate guide member 15 is secured to the front face of the wall and is provided with a flange portion adapted to embrace the corresponding arcuate head of the door, the stud 13 being located at the center of curvature thereof. The flange of said member acts to hold the free edge of the door against the surface of the wall so that the door will make a substantially air-tight closure. Said door is provided with the usual damper 16 for permitting the access of air to the fire box at such times as may be desired with out opening the door.

The door is provided on the other side of the stud 13 with an arm portion 17 formed integral therewith, which is of sufficient weight to substantially counterbalance the weight of the door proper, the stud 13 acting as a fulcrum. However the weight of the arm 17 is slightly less than that of the door proper, so that the door may fall by gravity to closed position. The arm 17 is connected with the actuating mechanism by a clownw'ardly extending rod 18 which is pivoted to said arm at 19, the lower end of said rod ex tending through the floor 20.

Said arm 17 and the upper end of the rod 18 are covered and protected by the hood 21 which is rigidly secured to the wall of the fire box by the bolts 22. The stud 13 passes through said hood so that the outer end of said stud is supported thereon. By means of this arrangement a relatively large area of the wall is adapted to support the door and the stud upon which it is tfulcrumed.

On the under side of the floor 20 immediately below the door, there is a, downwardly extending bracket 23 to which the dross ever 24 is pivoted at 25, said lever having its free end pivotally connected with the rod 18. Extending directly-awayirom the wall 1.0 there is a beam 26 which is pivoted at 27 toa suitable bracket '28 suspended from beneath the floor. The 'free end of saidbeam is outwardly connected with the cross lever 24 intermediate'theends thereof. At a suit able position in'thefioor 2O and'spaced the desired'distance from the wall :10 there isa foot pedal -or plunger 29 which extends through the floor and protrudes -a short'distance "above the surface thereof, the lower ends of said pedal "being bifurcatedso 'asto straddle the beam 26 and ridethe-reon.

It will be observed from the foregoing thatupon it beingtlesiredfto fire the boiler the fireman'havinga 'shovelof fuel ready to throw into the firefwillzplace his foot upon the pedal 29 and push it down flush with the "surface of the floor. This will "throw the free end of the beam 26 downwardly, which in turn will force the free end of the lever 24- down, which, being connected with the rod 28 will pull said [rod and the varm 17 'to which it is '-connected downwardly. This movement will cause the door 12to be raised about '-the=stud 1-3 as a 'fulcrum, the movement being "such as to cause the door proper to clear the opening "1' 1. The fuel may then be thrown through'saidopening. Thereafter, upon the fireman removing his foot from the pedal the door wilhimmecliate- 'ly drop by gravity against the bumper 1% which will'hold'it in closed position.

'For holding thedoor in open position, it maybe "provided with an eye 30 *fo'rre'ceiving a hoo'k 31 secured tothe wall '10. The rod 18 may also bepro-vided with a 'turnbuckle 82 for adjusting itsleng'th, and the lever 24 may have an enlarged co'unter weight portion 33, whereby tlie mechanism may be properly adjusted and balanced to assist in its operation.

The invention claimed is:

The =ccnnbination 'with'the wallof afire box or the like *lraving opening therein, a'door -associatedtherewith, and a fioor,of means for controlling the pos'ition of said door comprising a :rod connected therewith extending through the floor, a lever having one end connected with said rod and the other end pivotallyco'i'inec'te'd with the'under side 'of'said floor, said lever *e'xte nding thereunder "substantially parallel "with said wall, a beam having'one end pivotallyconnected with'the underside of said floor and the other'end connected 'with said'lever, said beam "extending away from said Wall at sub-' stantially right angles thereto, and a pedal "member mounted on said beam and :projectotherendlpivot'ally conneeted'with the under 'side of said floor 'saitl l'e'ver eatendin-g'thereunder substantially parallel with said wall, a beam havin one end pi'vota'lly connected with the under side of sa'idifleor and the other end connected with "said lever, said beam extending away from 'sa'id wall *at substantially right angles thereto, and a pedal member havinga bifurcated end adapted to straddle and restuponsaidbeam, the other-end projecting upwardly through said floor in position to be accessible "for the operation thereof.

8. The combination witlrthe'wall ofafire box for boilers'orthe like having anopening therein, and a door for closing said opening, of'a stud tor ivotahysupporting said door having one end seemed in said wall, and actuating mean'sconneoted with said door for causing it to swing to open or closed position upon said stud, and 'ahhood rigidly secured on said wall-so asito cever the connection hetweemsaid door and actuating means and receive the other end of said stud for partially sustaining the weight'ef said door.

4. The comhinauenwith the wall of the fire box or the-like having an upening therein, a door associated therewith, and afloor, 'of m'eal'i's for controllin the position ef said door 'cbmp'ri'sing -'a rod connected therewith extending through the "=floor, a a lever having one end "connected with said rod' 'and the other end piv'otall y connected with the under side of said fioor, said lever 'e-xtendin'g thereunder substantially parallel with said wall, a beam-having onee'nd pivotally conneoted with'the under side o'f' saidfloor and the other end connected with =said"l'ever,=' said beam extending away from said wall at substantiall'yright angles'theretoya'p'edal memher having a bifurcated end adapted to straddle and :rest upon "said beam, the other end projeeti'ng th'l -ou'gh -"said floor in position'to be accessible "for the" operation thereof, and a hood 1 secured to said-wa11 r0r 'enclosing the connection be'tween' said rod and door landsupporting "the other "end 161% said stud for partially sustaining the weight-er said door, substantially as shown and described. i

In witness whereof, I have-hereunto afl'ixed my signature. W ,Y I p "ROBERT T. HURTON. 

